Of course to add a bit more fun to the whole evolution, the pump pressure of the ships was and probably still is so low, that you have to hover very low over the water to overcome the "uphill" bit so that the amount delivered is more than the amount burned.
Can be interesting at night and in rough weather (the reason perhaps the deck is not available for land on...) You tend to get a lot of salt ingestion as well
Igor:
The ship can turn while HIFRing, as long as the relative wind stays within limits, and depending on the aircraft, can be a large range from port or stbd.
Think it's fun for the pilot, how about the poor s*ds manning the hose, having a tug of war with a 10 ton seaking in cr*p weather, hoping the pilot doesn't over control and break the weak links, letting the whole lot flop over the side into the sea!
I've done it in anger a couple of times and practiced it far too many times (practice bleeding is always fun)